For discussion
on 28 April 1999

PWSC(1999-2000)8

ITEM FOR PUBLIC WORKS SUBCOMMITTEE OF FINANCE COMMITTEE

HEAD 711 - HOUSING
Education - Secondary

169ES -Secondary school in area 101, Tin Shui Wai, Yuen Long
    Members are invited to recommend to Finance Committee the upgrading of 169ES to Category A at an estimated cost of $ 121.3 million in money-of-the-day prices for the construction of a secondary school in area 101, Tin Shui Wai, Yuen Long.

PROBLEM

There are not enough secondary schools to meet the increase in demand for new school places and to eliminate floating classes at secondary schools by the school year 2001/02.

PROPOSAL

2. The Director of Architectural Services (D Arch S), with the support of the Secretary for Housing and the Secretary for Education and Manpower, proposes to upgrade 169ES to Category A at an estimated cost of $121.3 million in money-of-the-day (MOD) prices for the construction of a secondary school in area 101, Tin Shui Wai, Yuen Long.

PROJECT SCOPE AND NATURE

3. The proposed secondary school is a standard design school building. It will have -

  1. 30 classrooms;

  2. 16 special rooms, including a computer room, a computer-assisted learning room and a language room;

  3. three remedial teaching rooms;

  4. a guidance activity/interview room;

  5. two interview rooms;

  6. two staff rooms and a staff common room;

  7. a student activity centre;

  8. a conference room;

  9. a library;

  10. an assembly hall;

  11. a multi-purpose area; and

  12. ancillary accommodation including a lift and relevant facilities for the handicapped.

JUSTIFICATION

4. The Director of Education (D of E) forecasts that to meet the increase in demand and to eliminate floating classes, 953 additional secondary school classes will be required in the territory by the school year 2001/02. 28 secondary school projects planned for completion by or before the school year 2001/02 have been upgraded to Category A and are under construction. 169ES together with the 28 schools already upgraded to Category A will provide 842 classes. We plan to meet the projected shortfall in future through further school construction projects.

5. The public housing development at the Tin Shui Wai area 101 will produce about 9 000 flats for a population intake of 30 000 in 2001. In order to meet the demand from the population of the area and to alleviate the territory-wide shortfall, we propose to construct a secondary school in area 101, Tin Shui Wai. Upon completion, the school will provide 30 secondary classes.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

6. We estimate the capital cost of the project to be $121.3 million in MOD prices (see paragraph 7 below), made up as follows -

$ million
(a) Piling12.9
(b) Building62.0
(c) Building services16.9
(d) Drainage and external works 10.3
(e) Contingencies10.2
______
Sub-total112.3(at December 1998 prices)
(f) Provision for price adjustment9.0
______
Total121.3(in MOD prices)
______

The construction floor area of 169ES is 12 238 square metres. The construction unit cost, represented by building and building services costs, is $6,447 per square metre at December 1998 prices. D Arch S considers this construction unit cost reasonable. A comparison of the standard cost of a secondary school with the project estimate of this school is at the Enclosure.

7. Subject to approval, we will phase the expenditure as follows -

Year$ million
(Dec 1998)
Price
adjustment
factor
$ million
(MOD)
1999 - 20005.81.026256.0
2000 - 200158.61.0621762.2
2001 - 200237.31.0993441.0
2002 - 200310.61.1378212.1
______ ______
112.3121.3
______ ______

8. We derived the MOD estimates on the basis of Government's latest forecast of trend labour and construction prices for the period 1999 to 2003. We will tender the works under fixed-price lump-sum contract because we can clearly define the scope of works in advance, leaving little room for uncertainty.

9. The cost of furniture and equipment, estimated to be $9.2 million, will be borne by the school sponsor as the school will be allocated for operating as a new aided school. We estimate the additional annually recurrent expenditure for the school to be $40.2 million.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION

10. We consulted the Social Services and Publicity Committee of the Yuen Long Provisional District Board in March 1999. Members of the Committee supported the project.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

11. The consultants engaged by the D Arch S completed the Preliminary Environmental Review (PER) on 169ES in December 1998. The PER identified that there will be road traffic noise impact generated from the traffic on the main road along the northern side of the school. The Director of Environmental Protection vetted the PER and recommended the following environmental mitigation measures to keep the road traffic noise impact on the proposed school within the limits stipulated in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines -

  1. construction of a 3-metre high solid wall along the northern boundary; and

  2. provision of insulated windows and air-conditioning to 30 classrooms from 1/F to 5/F and three special rooms on 6/F at the western and northern facades of the classroom block.

We have included $3.2 million in the project estimates for implementing the above environmental mitigation measures. We will control noise, dust and site run-off nuisances during the construction through the implementation of appropriate mitigation measures in the relevant contracts.

LAND ACQUISITION

12. The project does not require any land acquisition.

Background INFORMATION

13. We upgraded 169ES to Category B in May 1997. D Arch S has completed site investigations for the project and is in the process of preparing the detailed working drawings and tender documents using in-house staff resources. We plan to start the construction works in November 1999 for completion in May 2001.

--------------------------------------

Housing Bureau
April 1999

(PWSC0117/WIN4)

Enclosure to PWSC(1999-2000)8

A comparison of the standard cost of a secondary school project with the estimated cost of 169ES

Standard
cost*
169ES
$ million
(at Dec 1998 prices)
(a) Piling 11.8 12.9(See note A)
(b) Building 61.5 62.0 (See note B)
(c) Building services 14.516.9(See note C)
(d) Drainage and external works 10.010.3(See note D)
(e)Contingencies9.810.2
____________
Total107.6112.3
____________
(f) Construction floor area12 238m212 238m2
(g) Construction unit cost
{[(b)+(c)](f)}
$6,210/m2$6,447/m2

* Assumptions for standard cost

1. The estimation is based on the assumption that the school site is uncomplicated and without abnormal environmental restrictions. No allowance is reserved for specific environmental restrictions such as the provision of insulated windows, air-conditioning and solid boundary walls to mitigate noise impacts on the school.

2. No site formation works/geotechnical works are required as they are normally carried out by other government departments under a separate engineering vote before the handing-over of the project site for school construction.

3. Piling cost is based on the use of 138 numbers of steel H-piles at an average depth of 30 metres, on the assumption that percussive piling is permissible. It also includes costs for pile caps, strap beams and testing. No allowance is reserved for the effect of negative skin friction due to fill on reclaimed land.

4. Cost for drainage and external works is for a standard secondary school site area of 6 950 square metres built on an average level site without complicated geotechnical conditions, utility diversions, etc. (i.e. a greenfield site).

5. No consultancy services are required.

6. Furniture and equipment costs are excluded as they are usually borne by the sponsoring body of an aided school.

7. The standard cost for comparison purpose is subject to review regularly. We have recently updated the standard cost of a secondary school from $98.3 million at December 1997 prices to $107.6 million at December 1998 prices. The updated standard cost estimate also reflects a minor increase in the construction floor area of a standard secondary school from 12 115 square metres to 12 238 square metres. We will continue to periodically review, and revise if necessary, the standard cost which should be adopted for future projects.

Notes

A. The piling cost is higher because it is based on the provision of 138 numbers of steel H-piles at an average depth of 35 metres instead of 30 metres in a standard school.

B. The building cost is higher because of the provision of insulated windows as a noise mitigation measure.

C. The building services cost is higher because of the provision of air-conditioning as a noise mitigation measure.

D. The cost for drainage and external works is higher because of the construction of a 3-metre high solid wall along the northern boundary of the site as a noise mitigation measure.

(PWSC0117/WIN4)